Building my first computer

crc9786

Posts: 22   +0
Just want to do it so I can say I did. I am leaning toward a gaming configuration, nothing ridiculous but if I'm gonna take the time to do it I want it to be reliable. I have settled on a cooler master case and I'm going with AMD processor not sure exactly which one yet. Anyway my first question is what size PSU should I be looking for? Any recommendations on any other parts welcome. Thanks.
 
If your unsure of an AMD processor to go by maybe the 1055t? £155
or you could go for a quad core (620,630,635) £70ish
 
I am going to get it a piece at a time for research value, so price isn't my main concern, lets just say since this is my first build I don't want to be extravagant. Maybe 600 or 700 total, less is better. And I want at least 512 dedicated video.
 
to be honest why not look at techspots guide to buying a new pc 2010?
TBH, I actually didn't like it that much.
EDIT: I meant that I think its terrible ATM.

I am going to get it a piece at a time for research value, so price isn't my main concern, lets just say since this is my first build I don't want to be extravagant. Maybe 600 or 700 total, less is better. And I want at least 512 dedicated video.
Thats great, you mean USD right?

EVGA 01G-P3-1370-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX440WFGIBOX
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM
CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 AMD Motherboard

That should total about $550, leaving the rest for case/hdds/os/peripherals.
 
yeah USD, thanks for the links, will take a look at the guide and probably post some questions later
 
moving on to graphics....

If I end up with a board that has a built in ATI card with crossfire, can I add-on a GeForce card (let's say a GT 240)??
 
If I end up with a board that has a built in ATI card with crossfire, can I add-on a GeForce card (let's say a GT 240)??

Are you talking about an onboard graphics card on a CrossFire capable motherboard? You will have no issues adding a single card whether ATI or nVidia on any mobo with 2 or more PCI-E slots. However, if the motherboard supports only CF then a second nVidia card won't work in SLI. Only 2 or more ATI cards will. Vice-versa for a mobo that is only SLI capable.
 
That motherboard is fine as long as:

1. Your never going to install another GTX460 (or any Nvidia card) and try and run SLI.
2. You want to run 2 Radeon's in Crossfire (CF) mode.
3. Your only using one GPU - In which case it doesn't matter if its Radeon or Nvidia.

You don't need on-board video, in fact I wouldn't bother if your ordering dedicated graphics.
 
Psu ?

anticipated system as of this moment:

AMD Athlon IIx3 Rana 3.0 ghz @ 95W
Asus GT240 1GB video
4gb G.Skill DDR3
ASUS M4A87TD EVO mobo
probably 1 TB HD
Asus DVD burner
and some sort of card reader

I was thinking a ballpark of 500W would suffice and OCZ has some good deals and I like the modular designs of most OCZ models

single 12v rail vs. multiple??
 
I'd recommend an Antec ECO or an OCZ StealthXStream supply over the CX430. Also, consider the Seasonic SS-400ET; it's slightly more expensive than the Corsair (shipping-wise only, I think), but worth it.

The Corsair is inferior in quality to all three; a disappointment, given the stellar product it's replacing.
 
I'd recommend an Antec ECO or an OCZ StealthXStream supply over the CX430. Also, consider the Seasonic SS-400ET; it's slightly more expensive than the Corsair (shipping-wise only, I think), but worth it.

The Corsair is inferior in quality to all three; a disappointment, given the stellar product it's replacing.

Sorry, I was of the impression that Corsair power supplies were generally very well built, and reliable.
 
I have an Antec Eco 650watt power supply and it runs my system very well. Antec seems to make better quality power supplies and cases
 
Sorry, I was of the impression that Corsair power supplies were generally very well built, and reliable.
Sadly, this new addition is from a different company.
Thats what Rage said, and I've no doubt he's right.
 
The Corsair is a CWT built based on the CWT DSA platform, which is decent (i.e. much, much better than the garbage quality internals on the el-cheapo PSUs like those from Raidmax, DynaPower etc.) but the build quality doesn't match up to the Seasonic-built Antec PSU.

The StealthXStream series (except the 400W) is built by FSP, and though it is based on the notoriously ripple-prone Epsilon platform, as of December 2007, OCZ is reported to have fixed the high ripple issue, which is only prevalent at high loads (>80%). The 600W unit can be had for around $50-60 and provides more headroom for an upgrade compared to the Corsair.

I have an Antec Eco 650watt power supply and it runs my system very well. Antec seems to make better quality power supplies and cases
The ECO series is Seasonic built, and is fantastic. But not all of Antec's PSUs are as stellar; the notorious SmartPower series with their cataclysmic chain of failures nearly ruined Antec's reputation a few years ago.
 
this is a little off-subject but this seems to be the place to ask...

anyone wanna school me a little bit on ram speeds, I have a little understanding of cas latency, but what about 1333,1600,2000, etc. and what is 1T,2T,etc at the end of the latency description? I get that L1, L2, and L3 cache are used primarily for very quick processes and ram is for the more drawn out detailed functions, but what exactly do these things do?

thanks
 
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